Margaret’s story: ‘We were lost, until the sunshine broke through’

Nature has always been a passion of mine, whether spending time harvesting the fruit and vegetables we grow in our garden, or enjoying the beauty of hiking in the hills. There is indeed something of God in the beauty of his creation.

A few years ago, my husband James and I were in Norway. We set out one morning to do the circuit around Dynjefjellet mountain on the edge of the Rondane national park. We were very disappointed as the mist became thick and we could not see anything ahead of us.

Was it worth going on? Was it safe to continue? As we took a break to gather our breath and to re-examine our maps, the clouds suddenly parted and then, with beaming light, the sunshine landed on our mountain. As we continued on our way, the sunshine became stronger and we enjoyed awe-inspiring views of not just this mountain, but others in the distance. What a fabulous outing we had that day! We were lost until the sunshine broke through.

I often use this experience to illustrate to others the importance of God’s word in our lives. Psalm 119 says that ‘God’s word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’. It is essential to life. God speaks to us always, whether in times of great joy or during periods of uncertainty, suffering or challenge.

This is why Bible translation has always been so important to me. I have always had God’s word in my language to read and guide me throughout my life. But as I reflect back, I ask myself, what if I had never had access to the Bible in my language?

If I didn’t have the Bible in English, I may never have heard the gospel at a young age while at church with my parents; I might not have been discipled in my youth nor attended Bible camps; I may never have read about God’s reassurances in Psalm 23 while studying or about the steadfast promises of God in Job amid a time of real challenge while serving overseas in Africa.

I thank God for directing my path through every aspect of my life but I can’t help but feel the injustice that others do not get the richness of Scripture, simply because there is no Bible or study resources in their own language.

This is why I have left a gift in my Will to Wycliffe. Work is starting on translating Scripture for whole communities at a rate of one new language a day. Isn’t that amazing?

The joy of the gift in my Will is that I become part of the journey in achieving a day in which everyone will have the chance to know Jesus through the Bible in their own language. My hope and my prayer is that as a result many more people will experience the Lord directing their path throughout their lifetime just as he always has with me.